Convicted thief willing to ‘man up’

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This article was published 12/01/2023 (613 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg resident will spend the next 18 months under house arrest after he admitted to breaking into four Brandon businesses in May 2021.

Christopher Gerardy, who was also ordered to pay just over $2,000 in restitution, appeared in a Brandon courtroom Thursday. He pleaded guilty to illegally entering the Super Thrifty Pharmacy, the Subway restaurant located on 18th Street North, the East End Convenience Store and Cranberry’s Family Restaurant within the same month.

The first of the incidents took place May 5, around 2 a.m., when Gerardy smashed the front glass door at Super Thrifty and entered the premises, getting away with $160 and the business’ cash register.

On May 21, at approximately 1:20 a.m., Gerardy broke into Subway by again smashing a glass door with a rock. However, there was no cash inside the business.

Gerardy was similarly unsuccessful when he tried to break into East End Convenience on May 23.

While he was able to force his way into the store’s front entrance around 2:40 a.m., an inner layer of plexiglass prevented any further progress and Gerardy left the premises empty-handed.

However, the suspect’s Cranberry’s Family Restaurant heist on May 27, at 7:09 a.m., was much more fruitful, as he managed to steal some handmade jewelry, glassware and an RCA monitor worth $1,303 altogether.

Gerardy concealed his face from surveillance cameras during all four break-ins, but police still managed to track him down May 29 and arrest him after discovering the stolen items at his residence.

During Thursday’s court proceedings, Crown attorney Jeannelle Allard said Gerardy has a long history of committing property crimes, having recently received a two-month conditional sentence order for another break-and-enter conviction in 2021.

In terms of what has been fuelling Gerardy’s criminal behaviour, defence attorney Tony Kavanagh told the court his client has been suffering from addiction issues for a long time.

But Kavanagh said his client is now fully committed to recovery and has managed to get his life back on track since his arrest in the spring of 2021.

“I’m trying my hardest to change my life,” Gerardy told Judge Patrick Sullivan directly during Thursday’s court proceedings. “I just want to do good on this and take responsibility and man up to it.”

Sullivan ultimately endorsed the 18-month conditional sentence order brought forward by both the Crown and the defence.

While this means Gerardy will be able to serve out a jail sentence at his residence in Winnipeg, Sullivan reminded him he is subject to a variety of court-imposed restrictions throughout the next year and a half.

This includes abiding by an absolute curfew, abstaining from drugs and alcohol and staying confined to his Winnipeg residence unless he must attend a medical appointment, important family function or another event approved by his probation supervisor.

Sullivan also ordered Gerardy to pay a total of $2,063 to Super Thrifty ($360), Subway ($200), East End Convenience ($200) and Cranberry’s Family Restaurant ($1,303) to compensate for his theft and damage.

“I think making amends with those who have suffered as a result of your unhealthy relationship with substances is part of the recovery process as well, and you should build the restitution into that programming,” the judge said Thursday.

“I genuinely wish you good luck.”

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson